Skip to content
Sign in

Gyms in Medway

Five river towns with a multi-sport centre on the Great Lines, a tidal saltwater lido at Gillingham and country parks on both banks. Here's where to train in Medway and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
54
Join Gymist freeFind a training buddy

Showing 1–24 of 54 gyms

Towns in Medway

From the castle and cathedral at Rochester to the dockyard town of Chatham and Gillingham's riverfront.

Training in Medway

An Olympic training site, a Victorian saltwater lido and a lot of river to run beside.

Medway is home to around 279,800 people (Census 2021), up 6.0% since 2011, with a median age of 38. It is made up of five towns along the river, Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham, known together as the Medway Towns. In Sport England's Active Lives survey for Nov 2024–25, 57.8% of adults here did at least 150 minutes of activity a week, below the South East's 67.4%.

Medway Council runs the public centres itself. Medway Park in Gillingham, opened as the Black Lion Leisure Centre in 1973, has a pool, an athletics track, a judo centre and sports halls, and was a training site for 13 Olympic and 8 Paralympic sports before London 2012. Strood Sports Centre, Cozenton Park in Rainham and Hoo Sports Centre each have a pool and a gym, and The Strand in Gillingham has a tidal saltwater lido that opened in 1896. Around them sit health clubs, 24-hour strength gyms and kickboxing, Muay Thai and judo clubs.

Outside, there's the Great Lines between Chatham and Gillingham, Riverside Country Park on the estuary and Capstone Farm Country Park on the North Downs. It's all easier with someone to train with. Gymist is how you find them.

Where to train in Medway

The council's sports centres first, then the health clubs and strength gyms, then the fight gyms.

Council sports centres (Medway Council)

Health clubs and gyms

Combat and martial arts

Find a training buddy in Medway

A lane partner at Cozenton Park, someone to share the track at Medway Park, a sparring partner for Muay Thai in Rochester: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a Medway training group

A Saturday crew for Great Lines parkrun, an estuary run along the Saxon Shore Way through Riverside Country Park, a summer swim group at The Strand: set it up in minutes and we'll help locals find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train in Medway.

  • Great Lines Heritage Parkabout 70 hectares between Chatham and Gillingham, home of Great Lines parkrun, a free 5k every Saturday at 9am since September 2013.
  • Riverside Country Parkabout 100 hectares of salt marsh and grassland on the estuary between Gillingham and Rainham, with the Saxon Shore Way and National Cycle Route 1 running through.
  • Capstone Farm Country Park114 hectares on the North Downs near Walderslade, with woods, meadows, a lake and cycling paths.
  • The StrandGillingham's riverside park, with an outdoor gym, a parkour training area, junior parkrun and free community kayaking sessions.

Getting around

Rail, cycle and walking routes to Medway's gyms.

Rail

  • seven stations: Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, Rainham, Halling and Cuxton
  • the North Kent line, the Chatham Main Line and the Medway Valley line
  • Southeastern high-speed trains call at Strood on the way to Ebbsfleet and St Pancras, and Thameslink trains terminate at Rainham

Cycle

  • year-round pedestrian and cycle routes cross the Great Lines between Chatham and Gillingham
  • National Cycle Route 1 follows the Saxon Shore Way through Riverside Country Park

Walk

  • the Saxon Shore Way runs along the estuary through Riverside Country Park between Gillingham and Upchurch

Who trains here

What the census and Sport England say about the people you'll meet in the pool, on the track and on the mats.

  • 57.8%Active adultsDoing 150+ minutes of activity a week, against 67.4% across the South East. Plenty of room to start, and easier with company.Sport England Active Lives, Nov 2024–25
  • 38Median ageUp from 37 in 2011, and 13.8% of residents are aged 25 to 34.Census 2021
  • 19.2%Aged 50 to 64Up from 17.9% in 2011. Plenty of people at the age when a regular swim or class partner makes the difference.Census 2021

Medway gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in Medway?

Gymist lists 54 gyms, leisure centres, studios, fight gyms and sports clubs across Medway, from the council's sports centres to health clubs, strength gyms and judo and boxing clubs in Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham.

Which leisure centres are in Medway, and who runs them?

Medway Council runs them directly: Medway Park Sports Centre on Mill Road in Gillingham, Strood Sports Centre on Watling Street, Cozenton Park Sports Centre on Bloors Lane in Rainham (formerly Splashes), Hoo Sports Centre on Main Road in Hoo and The Strand Lido and Leisure Park on Pier Road in Gillingham.

Where can I swim in Medway?

Cozenton Park in Rainham has a 25 m lane pool and a leisure pool with a flume. Medway Park, Strood and Hoo all have pools, and Hoo has a separate teaching pool. In summer, The Strand in Gillingham opens its saltwater lido beside the river, which dates from 1896 and is not artificially heated. Sessions there are booked online in advance.

Where can I train outdoors for free in Medway?

Great Lines parkrun is a free 5k every Saturday at 9am on the Great Lines Heritage Park between Chatham and Gillingham. Riverside Country Park covers about 100 hectares of the Medway estuary, with the Saxon Shore Way and National Cycle Route 1 running through it. Capstone Farm Country Park has 114 hectares of woods, meadows and cycling paths, and The Strand has an outdoor gym and a parkour training area.

How do I get to gyms in Medway without a car?

Medway has seven railway stations: Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, Rainham, Halling and Cuxton, on the North Kent line, the Chatham Main Line and the Medway Valley line. Southeastern's high-speed trains call at Strood on the way to Ebbsfleet and St Pancras, and Thameslink trains terminate at Rainham. Year-round walking and cycle routes cross the Great Lines between Chatham and Gillingham, past Medway Park.

How do I find a gym buddy in Medway?

Join Gymist free, add your gym and when you train, and browse members nearby. If there isn't a group for your kind of training yet, start one.

Train in Medway? Join Gymist

Free to join. Save your gyms, share when you train, and connect with people from Strood to Rainham.

Join Gymist free

Nearby areas